


Wings of Rebellion

by KammieCeleek



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Next Generation, Protagonist and Haru have a daughter, References to Classic Literature, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23907715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KammieCeleek/pseuds/KammieCeleek
Summary: The game begins again and a daughter must pick up where her father left off.Or:  a next-gen AU where Hanako Amamiya finds out her squeaky-clean family isn't as squeaky-clean as she thought while she tries to figure out what the hell is going on.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Okumura Haru, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira/Okumura Haru, Okumura Haru/Persona 5 Protagonist, Original Male Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	1. Irene

_Stirrings._

_He could feel the air around him moving. How long had it been since he felt anything? Seen anything? There were whispers, too—whispers of hopes and wishes and dreams and desires, all belonging to humanity. A smile—he could feel himself smiling. Oh, this was all good. He was regaining power again. This time he could win against the Trickster. There was no doubt about it. But he'd be smarter. He had to be if he had any hope of carrying out his plans._

_Ooh, he was moving, too. Moving steadily down, down, down towards the depths of wherever he was. The whispers became louder, more frenzied the deeper he went. Darker and uglier, too. More evil. He relished in it, for it meant that humanity hadn't changed in the time he'd been away. It was more fuel to restore him to his former self while he healed. After all, the humans needed him still. If they didn't, he'd have been gone for good._

_Silently, he opened his eyes._

_Yes, this was good. He was back in his realm, his Palace. Or really, the home of all Palaces. Mementos had returned, and so had the Metaverse. But he had to wonder—why and how had it all come back? Had the Trickster and his friends not erased this dimension on Christmas Day, eliminating its need to exist?_

_It didn't matter. What mattered was that he was back._

_And this time, he was going to win._

* * *

She gasped as she woke up, her alarm cutting into her dream. With a groan of annoyance she hit snooze on her phone before realizing it was time to get ready for school. Whatever. It was fine.

Trying to brush her fluffy black curls was useless, as she'd learned over the years, and she instead settled for pulling a headband back to keep her longer hair out of her face. She quickly pulled on her uniform—white collared shirt, black jacket, red plaid skirt, and a pair of stockings with tiny red dots on them. On the collar of the jacket, she attached her second-year pin. Still a point of pride that she'd made it this far, even if it was a foregone conclusion for most people in her life.

Downstairs, her father was making breakfast while her mother looked over some reports. Her younger brother was sitting at the table, tapping away at his tablet as she sat down at the table between her mother and her brother. The TV was blaring the news, something about another politician being accused of embezzling tax money. She knew it wasn't _her_ dad. He knew better.

"Good morning, Hanako," Ren Amamiya greeted his oldest child.

"Morning, Dad! Curry for breakfast?"

"Yep. You and your mother's favorite."

"It's this family's favorite," Haru corrected, smiling as she looked up from the expense reports from Okumura Foods.

"It's why your mom fell in love with me in the first place." Ren set down a plate in front of each of his children before setting one in front of his wife.

"I think it was more your sense of justice and the fact that you had the whole 'mysterious past' thing going for you."

Hanako felt her phone buzz in her pocket. While her parents jokingly argued over how her mother had fallen for her father, she pulled it out of her pocket and saw an odd-looking app. It was an image of a red and black eye, an app she didn't remember downloading. Quickly, she deleted it, thinking it might be a virus before she turned her attention to her curry.

Once breakfast was finished, the family headed off to the car. Yoshida was dropped off first at the elementary school and then she was dropped off a block away from Shujin Academy. As Hanako walked towards the school, she thought about her dream and the weird app that had appeared on her phone. Were they connected somehow?

"Hey, Hanako!"

Suddenly, she found herself in a trademark half-bodyslam, half-hug from her best friend Chiasa.

"Morning, Chiasa. You're on time for once."

"Aki pulled me out of bed when Dad overslept. He threatened to call Mom."

"Where is he, by the way?"

"I said he pulled me out of bed. He's such an effing nerd, I swear. He _had_ to be at school early today."

"Hey, if it weren't for the fact that I have to be driven—"

"Yeah, I know, you'd be here early, too. Let's get inside and get to the hell known as education."

Hanako nodded, the two entering the building and splitting up to go to their respective homerooms. Her phone went off again in her pocket, the same app appearing there with the eye seemingly glaring at her before she deleted it. That settled it; she was resetting her phone when she got home… after she backed up her data, of course. She took her seat next to the window, an all-too-familiar boy with curly black hair sitting in front of her.

"Morning, Aki," she greeted him.

"Good morning, Hanako."

"Heard you got Chiasa out of bed this morning. Bet that went well."

"As well as it could. She did threaten to rip my head off until I threatened to call Mom."

"To be fair, your mom is really scary when she's pissed."

"Dad agrees. He was out of bed the second he heard me say it."

"Well, we're second-years now. Graduation isn't that far away, you know."

"Yeah. Hopefully Chi makes it that far."

Hanako smiled. Then their homeroom teacher walked in and it was business as usual.

* * *

After school, Hanako and Akihisa waited at the school gate for Chiasa. She was running late, as usual since they'd started high school, and neither of them were sure why that was the case. Hanako privately suspected it had something to do with Chiasa's crush on Mr. Miyashita, her homeroom teacher, but she kept it to herself. It wasn't any of her business, after all, and Mr. Miyashita was a decent enough teacher. It certainly helped that he'd won awards for his dedication to his students and his career at the young age of twenty-five.

"How much longer do you think she'll be?" Akihisa asked.

"Dunno." Hanako's phone buzzed _again_. Annoyed, she pulled it out and tapped the eye.

_What the hell is up with this app?_

"She's been really weird since we started going here. We've never really had secrets."

"I know. It's been that way with me, too." Hanako nodded, not noticing the app was activated.

"I think Miyashita has something to do with it."

"He's a good teacher who wants to help students."

"You should've heard him last year when I tried to correct him. Miyashita can never be wrong and nobody else can ever be right unless they agree with him."

"I haven't seen that."

"He acts like we should all treat him like he's a god or something. Like Shujin is his temple and we're all just there to worship him." Akihisa shook his head.

_"Searching for route to destination…"_

Hanako glanced back down at her phone along with Akihisa, and when they looked up, the school was gone. In its place was, well, a temple. Alarms started going off in Hanako's head. This wasn't right. No, this was very far from right.

"What the hell?" whispered Akihisa.

"We should go in and find Chiasa." Hanako started up the steps.

They passed several people they recognized, various students and teachers dressed up in clothes that were befitting of feudal peasants as opposed to a modern high school's population. A few girls were dressed in the robes of priestesses. One of them reached out and grabbed Hanako by the arm.

"You shouldn't be so indecent here," she warned. Hanako recognized her as Aya Hattori, another of the girls who tended to stay after with Miyashita.

"Hattori-san…"

"Please, be dressed appropriately."

Hanako watched as Aya and the girl she was with (one Hanako didn't recognize) continued on their way. Akihisa seemed just as confused by what was going on.

"Let's just find my sister and get out of here," he told her, grabbing her arm.

The hallways were so much more twisted now. Hanako couldn't keep it all straight as she and Akihisa continued onwards. Principal Kawakami was in some kind of meditation room, her eyes closed. It was clear she was not to be disturbed. The two soon found themselves in a great hall of some kind with a statue of Miyashita placed at the front.

"Oh my God…" whispered Hanako.

"There they are!"

The two turned to see Aya and the other girl from earlier standing there with men dressed in armor.

"These two are desecrating this sacred place!" Aya pointed accusingly. "They need to be gotten rid of in the name of Miyashita!"

Without a word, the armored men grabbed Hanako and Akihisa, pulling them away from the place of worship. Hanako let out a scream that was silenced as her captor put a gloved hand over her mouth. They were brought to a cell underground and tossed in, scrolls with text and pictures of Miyashita hanging on the walls.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," gagged Akihisa.

"My phone's not working anymore," Hanako told him. "I can't call Mom and Dad to come get me."

"Which probably means I can't call my parents, either."

"Uncle Ryuji's gonna freak if you don't come home."

_"The blasphemers are in here."_

The two looked up to see Miyashita approaching their cell. Only, he didn't _quite_ look like Miyashita. He seemed more like a… cult leader. Wearing all white with a rather charismatic yet sinister smile on his face.

_"Hanako Amamiya and Akihisa Sakamoto. Why am I not surprised?"_

"Uh, what's going on?" Akihisa asked.

 _"Hold your tongue in the presence of Miyashita!"_ barked one of the guards.

_"Now, now, they don't know any better. Akihisa has always thought he is above me and Hanako… well, her father makes her holier than me, I suppose."_

"My dad has nothing to do with this."

_"I suppose not, then. You have both been so very disrespectful and in a place of worship, too. You desecrated this holy place and why? To get back at me for all I do to make everyone's lives better. They'd be lost without me!"_

_"What are your orders?"_

_"Kill them. I will have no dissenters in my flock."_

The guard entered.

There were times where Akihisa showed his colors as the child of Ryuji and Ann Sakamoto rather than the meek studious person he tended to be, and this was one of those times. Akihisa rushed the guard with a panicked expression, Hanako leaping back in a temporary moment of fear. Her heart beat wildly. None of this could be real. _None of this could possibly be real_. Miyashita was a teacher at Shujin Academy, not a cult leader at a temple. There was _no way…_

In her addled state, she didn't notice that the guards had pinned her to the wall. Anger was flooding her being as she struggled against the brutes who were beating Akihisa.

_NO!_

_**Listen, sweetheart.** _

Hanako froze.

_**You're a smart girl. Are you really going to let him go down like this when you can do something?** _

_But what can I do?_

_**Use your head, darling! Just try to use that beautiful brain of yours and I might help you.** _

_Help me… yes. Help me, please. I can't let this happen!_

_**Very well. I am thou. Thou art I. For a pretty girl to make it in a world like this, you have to have the mind to go against the society who thinks one way, even if it means burning away everything that you think defines you!** _

There was something on her face now, a pounding in her head. Hanako grimaced as she gripped the thing on her face, getting a good hold and ripping it off. Flames erupted around her as a single name appeared in her mind.

"IRENE!"

The guards holding her were thrown by a hand that Hanako couldn't see until she looked up. The woman wore a mask that bore resemblance to a white butterfly, her clothing consisting of a dress that appeared quite… old-fashioned yet scandalous. A high-waisted red skirt and a white blouse, a hat that matched the skirt with a white feather in it. Danger and innocence, that was what the woman exhibited. And yet there was something else about her…

_**"I am the woman of many faces, Irene. How do you wish to dispose of this trash?"** _

"However we can," Hanako replied. "Just make sure we're okay."

_**"Of course. How else?"** _

Without another word, the guards turned into pumpkin-headed ghosts. Hanako narrowed her eyes and Irene acted, bringing down swift vengeance upon the creatures. Once it was done they turned to Miyashita, who simply clapped.

"Very well, you may live. Leave my temple and never return, Hanako Amamiya. And the same goes for your friend."

Miyashita left them alone, walking away.

"Hana, what the hell was that?" Akihisa asked, breaking the silence. "And where did you get that outfit?"

Hanako looked down to see that she was dressed in a sleek black body-suit, lines painted on in bright red in a pattern that seemed so intentional yet she couldn't figure out why. And her mask… she was wearing a mask just like Irene's—she could see it on her reflection in a bucket of water in the corner.

_What the…?_

Suddenly it was gone—the whole costume, mask and all.

"We should get going," he told her quickly. "Come on."

They began to creep through what could only be described as a dungeon for heretics. It was like something Hanako had once seen in a book on the Spanish Inquisition, minus the old meme about three guys in red bursting into a room unexpectedly. As they went they could see others, people they recognized from the halls who had a tendency to bad-mouth Miyashita, being tortured. Hanako felt like she was going to barf.

Before too much longer, they found their way to the exit and stumbled onto the street. When they turned back around, Shujin was back as it should have been… complete with Chiasa finally coming out of the building and giving them a quizzical look.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"We're fine, Chi," Hanako replied. "I'm just tired. Let's get home."

"Good idea. I was just thinking that I could use some ramen, though. Mind if we stop on the way?"

"Not at all. I need some food, too."

As Chiasa walked ahead, Hanako and Akihisa shared a knowing look.

They needed to find out what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Phantom-Thieves-next-gen fic! We need more!
> 
> This story was actually concocted by me and my sister, so let me give you some stats about the characters at the end of each chapter starting next time around. It will have marked differences to Persona 5 as you can probably tell, and I've been working hard on mapping this all out with my sister. I hope you enjoy this piece of word garbage I came up with.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	2. The Family Cat Can Talk?!

"Did something happen today?"

Hanako looked up from her dinner at her mother's worried face.

"No, everything's fine. Why?"

"You've barely touched your food."

"It was a long day, that's all."

"Well, if something's wrong, you can always tell me. Okay?"

"I know." She looked at her father's empty chair. "Where's Dad?"

"You know how it's been for him at work lately. All the scandals mean he has to work harder in order to preserve his legitimacy as a candidate."

Hanako bit her lip and nodded.

_How could I tell you guys about this?_

Finally, she finished eating and put her plate in the sink.

"I'm going to go study. Thank you for dinner, Mom."

"All right. Tell me if you need anything."

Hanako headed upstairs to her room, where she pulled out some of her textbooks and began reading through them. She was only half-paying attention, though. How could she focus when she'd almost been killed by Miyashita earlier? And Irene—the thought of the woman wouldn't leave her head. Out of desperation, she opened up the laptop she'd gotten from her aunt Futaba when she started high school and typed the name 'Irene' into the search bar. Initially, it was a lot of 'Irene is a girl's name of Greek origin derived from the word for peace' and something about a South Korean singer. However, one result stuck out in her mind—a full name.

Irene Adler.

She clicked on the name and it brought her to a page speaking of a character from a Sherlock Holmes short story who had an impact far beyond her singular appearance from Arthur Conan Doyle. Irene Adler was the only woman to ever outsmart the great detective, the article said, and she had appeared in almost everything Sherlock-Holmes-related since her creation. Usually as a love interest or romantic foil for Holmes. Even more interestingly, she was a thief, an opera singer, and a master of disguise. She ended up downloading a digital version of "A Scandal in Bohemia" just to get an idea of who Miss Adler was as a person.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in the middle of the night. Quietly, she crept out of her room and down the hall to her father's study. He wasn't awake, thankfully, which meant that she could do what she intended.

Behind his desk in a covered case there were several model guns. All were either gifts or collectibles, all from the owner of the airsoft shop in Shibuya that happened to be a friend of her father. These were incredibly good-looking models. They looked real and that was what Hanako had been hoping for. Kneeling in front of the cabinet, she took a rather slender-looking pistol and what appeared to be a machine gun. One for her and one for Akihisa. If they ran into trouble again, they could bluff their way out with the guns… unless one of the guards had a real one. Then they would really need another plan, but they could cross that bridge when they came to it.

"Well, that's odd."

Hanako jumped slightly at the sudden voice. It wasn't one she recognized. Her eyes turned to the door, where the family cat was sitting in the open entryway.

_Oh, it's just Morgana. I thought somebody was here…_

_Wait, did…_

"No. That's crazy."

"What's crazy?" Morgana tilted his head and Hanako's eyes widened.

"Oh my God—the cat is talking." Morgana's eyes went wide, too.

"Wait, you can hear me?!"

"Yes!" She kept her shocked yelling to a whisper. "How are you talking?!"

"I've always been able to talk! You just haven't been able to understand me until now!"

"How come I can suddenly do that?"

"There's only one way I can think of, but it's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because that method was destroyed more than twenty years ago."

Hanako opened and closed her mouth.

"Did… did you find something on your phone?"

"…yes…" Her voice was quiet.

"A red-and-black app with a picture of an eye?" She nodded. "Then… it's not impossible. You activated it."

"Is that what caused me to be able to understand you?"

"No. Did you end up somewhere unfamiliar?"

"A temple of some kind."

"That's what did it, then. Are you planning to go back?"

"Tomorrow. Me and Aki."

"Then I'm going with you. I know what that place is and you need a navigator to help you out."

"O-okay, I guess… how are you going to do that?"

"I can hide in your bag. It's not hard to hide. You'd better get back to bed, though. I won't have you being completely exhausted when we re-enter the Metaverse."

She nodded. There would be plenty of time for questions later.

For now, it was prep time. That was the most important thing.

* * *

_She awoke lying on a wooden bench._

_Sitting up, she glanced around to see that she was in some kind of library. Every book was beautifully bound in a way that implied they were beloved and well-cared-for. Her eyes then landed on the circulation desk, where an old man who looked like a goblin sat behind the wood._

_"Welcome, Trickster," he greeted her in a high-pitched and raspy voice. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."_

_Hanako blinked, still confused. A little girl with long blonde hair came out from behind a shelf carrying a large book bound in blue and gold. Her eyes were just as golden as the color of the binding, her dress and headband just as blue._

_"You are not the first to enter this room, Hanako Amamiya. Far from it. However, this time something is wrong. This place should not be here."_

_"Why not?"_

_"It was destroyed more than twenty years ago, along with the plane known as the Metaverse."_

_"Well, for some reason, it's back."_

_"Yes. And you must figure out why."_

_"You seem capable," the old man stated. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Igor."_

_"And I am Lavenza," the girl added. "You will be waking soon. Go and do what you must. We will contact you when the time is right."_

_"Wait, please, why me?"_

_"Because, Hanako, the Trickster is…"_

Hanako opened her eyes before Lavenza could finish, her dream once again interrupted by her alarm going off. This time, however, Morgana was there as well, flicking his tail over her nose.

"A-achoo!" She sneezed, sending Morgana jumping in surprise.

"Ah! What the hell?!"

"Sorry, Morgana… my nose is just ticklish."

"Ugh… okay. Just make sure to put me in your bag before you leave today."

"Won't me carrying a cat look suspicious?"

"Don't worry. I know how to hide." He smirked broadly as only a cat could. "You get ready for this afternoon."

* * *

At school, Hanako did her best to focus on her lessons while she waited for the end of the day. According to Chiasa, Miyashita had a special project for some of his students and she'd be working with him on that this afternoon. That gave Hanako and Akihisa plenty of time to go back to the temple and get help from Morgana. They once again activated the mysterious app on Hanako's phone and wound up at Miyashita's temple. Morgana was now some kind of bipedal monster cat.

"Morgana, is that you?" gasped Hanako.

"Indeed. And I must say, you look quite lovely in this form." Hanako noted she was back in her thief-looking attire, mask and all. "I didn't realize you'd already unlocked your Persona."

"My… what?"

"What're you talking about?" Akihisa asked.

"Everyone wears a mask deep inside their heart. By removing that mask, the other you inside is revealed. You can't access this other you in reality, however. Only here in the Metaverse."

"What exactly _is_ the Metaverse?"

"In short, it's a cognitive plane of existence. Within the Metaverse, there are places called Palaces which are created when someone has particularly distorted and usually dark desires. This is the one belonging to Miyashita."

"Holy shit…" whispered Hanako.

"He sees the school as a temple and himself as the leader of said temple. No matter who is actually in charge here."

"Then… how do we stop him?"

"We need to change his heart. But has he actually done anything wrong?"

"Not as far as I know, but…"

"I think he has," spoke up Akihisa. "Let's look around and see if we can find anything for now."

"Good idea. Hanako and I will take the lead. You follow."

"Seems fair."

Hanako and Morgana, as suggested, led the way as they began to sneak through the temple. The priestesses appeared to be on the lookout, but Morgana taught Hanako how to properly sneak up on the guards to rip off their masks. After a few battles, the eldest Amamiya child understood how it worked and they found that the priestesses were speaking about how they belonged to Miyashita. He was their one and only love, they all said, and he treated them as such.

"Sexual abuse," Morgana sighed. "Just like Kamoshida."

"Isn't it because of Kamoshida that my parents came together?" asked Akihisa.

"Yes, because Kamoshida wanted your mother. He'd also broken Ryuji's leg the previous year, so your dad had something against him already."

 _"You need to be careful,"_ a male student said. _"If the Great Miyashita catches you, you'll be punished for disobedience."_

"We'll be fine, thanks," Hanako replied.

Not too long after, they found themselves back in the hall where they'd been caught the day before. This time, however, priestesses, followers, and guards were all there, along with Miyashita. And…

_Chiasa?!_

"Chi!" Akihisa yelled. Chiasa stood directly beside the Shadow version of Miyashita.

 _"You are not permitted to speak to my head priestess, Akihisa,"_ chided Shadow Miyashita. _"She is forbidden to speak to anyone from outside our place of worship."_

"To hell with that! She's my sister!"

_"And she is so much more than you. Stronger, more attractive, willing to go to extremes for what she believes and standing up for herself. And what do you do? Stick your nose in a book and think you know better than your elders."_

_"Akihisa, you need to listen to the Great Miyashita,"_ the fake Chiasa stated, staring straight at him. _"He's a great leader who will bring us to where we should be."_

"No way!" Morgana snapped. "Hanako, let's do this!"

But, despite their best efforts, both Morgana and Hanako were laid low by the guards. Akihisa stared in horror—at his friends, at the imitation of his little (by five minutes) sister, and most of all, at the Shadow of the man he hated.

_"They say your father and mother were crusaders for doing what was right. But I suppose only Chiasa inherited that. You're a coward, Akihisa Sakamoto. And an embarrassment."_

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Akihisa's voice echoed through the hall, causing Hanako to freeze. Not once in the sixteen years they'd grown up together had she ever heard him drop a swear any bigger than 'hell'. He was _mad_. In that moment, she could once again see him acting the part of Ryuji and Ann's child, his fury matching that of her aunt's when Ann had found out her son was being bullied in elementary school.

"I'm _not_ a coward! You're a bastard who preys on teenage girls because you think you're hot shit and that nobody can touch you! Well, guess what?! Your days are numbered here, asshole! And I'll make sure you pay if it's the last thing I do!"

Throbbing shot through his mind as he doubled over in pain.

_**It took you long enough.** _

_What…?_

_**You fear being forgotten, being overlooked. You must make a statement that you will not be ignored by those who wish you be left behind in the past. Let us forge a contract so that my power may be yours as well.** _

"I hear you!"

_**I am thou… thou art I…** _ _**though others may fall prey to the fire you use it to nourish your will to go forth and take what is yours!** _

A golden mask appeared on Akihisa's face. Like Hanako had done the day before, he reached and gripped it, tearing it off his face as blood spurted from the wound. Blue flames erupted around him and when they cleared, there was a man behind him with the body of another in his hand. This man wore a mask that matched Akihisa's and glared at Shadow Miyashita, who motioned for his guards to take them out as he and his followers fled from the chapel.

"Let's go, Adam," snarled Akihisa.

It didn't take long for them to take down the guards. Akihisa did collapse afterwards, however, and Morgana insisted that they retreat for the day. On their way out, they were confronted again by a guard. This one transformed into a beguiling girl with fluttery wings that they knocked down rather quickly. To the shock of Akihisa and Hanako, the girl identified herself as Pixie and asked to fight alongside Hanako. She then turned into another butterfly mask and was absorbed into the one already on the girl's face.

"What…" she whispered.

"I had a feeling…" Morgana sighed, tapping his foot. "We'd better get back. The sooner the better."

"What about Chiasa?" asked Akihisa.

"That wasn't really your sister. That was just how he sees her. The real Chiasa is still in the real world."

"We'd better get back, then. I want to see a sister who _doesn't_ tell me to kiss Miyashita's filthy feet."

Hanako nodded and they returned to the real world.

* * *

Chiasa double-checked her watch as she stood outside the gate.

Her brother and best friend were nowhere to be found. Sure, she'd had to stay after, but she'd also specifically told them what time she would be done. They were supposed to go home with her to make sure nothing bad happened to any of them… and okay, it was partially because she couldn't find her way out of a paper bag, much less navigate the trains by herself no matter how many years she'd been taking them.

"Hey, Chi-chan."

Chiasa whirled around to see Aya Hattori walking up.

"Aya-chan. What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. I'm just worried about this project with Mr. Miyashita. Do you really think it will help us out?"

"Of course it will. Why wouldn't it?"

"I dunno. It just seems kinda weird… but Mr. Miyashita can't be wrong. He's never been that way before."

"Ain't that the truth?"

"Chiasa, let's go!" called Akihisa, seemingly coming out of nowhere with Hanako.

"Coming!" She turned back to Aya. "See you tomorrow, Aya-chan!"

"See you…" Aya waved goodbye as Chiasa ran after her brother and best friend.

Her hands then dropped to her sides in such a way that it seemed like she was hugging herself to keep herself together. Mr. Miyashita could never be wrong… so why did she feel so disgusted with herself right now? He had to have a good reason for touching her, right?

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided against doing profiles for spoiler reasons.
> 
> Yes, this will largely follow the plot of the original game with much different subplots in regards to the respective confidants, including confidants being met in a different order and having different dynamics. There will also not be multiple romance routes for Hanako despite her being in the same position as Ren/Akira/Joker/Whatever you call him. I have one romance in mind for her, although there will be a rather odd… complication.
> 
> Also, you might be confused by Akihisa's Persona being Adam. No, it is not a reference to Adam and Eve. It's actually a reference to Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_ and the line where the Monster tells Victor "I ought to be thy Adam". And I'm speaking to the original text, not the modern interpretation where the monster is hideous and lumbering and inarticulate.
> 
> Next time: investigations and Chiasa forms a new friendship.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments. Please. I like reading them and I feel bad when I don't see any because I feel like nobody liked my story enough to comment.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	3. Lady of Sherwood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In response to a review I got after last chapter, I think this chapter will clear some things up? Others will be cleared up as we go along since they aren't exactly relevant in this chapter in particular.
> 
> TW for certain events in this chapter.
> 
> ONWARDS!

_Hanako—We need more information about the harassment if we're going through with this._

_Akihisa—There's an exhibition for the track team tomorrow. Should make poking around pretty easy._

_Akihisa—Hey, you mention any of this to your mom or dad?_

_Hanako—HELL NO_

_Hanako—Do you realize how insane it sounds? They've got enough on their plates without them worrying about me losing it._

_Hanako—You tell your dad or sister?_

_Akihisa—Nope. Same reasons as you._

_Hanako—See you tomorrow, then._

She set her phone down and turned her attention to Morgana, who was curled up on her bed.

"Hey, can Mom and Dad understand you, too?"

"Yeah, they can."

"So… are you going to tell them about this?"

"See, that's where I have a dilemma. I know they'll help you, but they have a lot of other things going on. Your dad has the election coming up and your mom has to run Okumura Foods. They don't have time to run after you into the Metaverse."

"They know about it?"

"Yeah. Your parents were the original Phantom Thieves over twenty years ago."

"So you can give us tips?"

"Maybe. You just need to focus on navigating and things like that. Something seems off this time."

"Okay. Time to sleep, then."

She pulled up her blanket over her body and closed her eyes, drifting off while Morgana watched her with a careful expression.

_My only question is, what's different? Something isn't the same and I don't think it's just because this is Hanako instead of Ren…_

* * *

The following morning, Hanako and Akihisa stuck together during the track exhibition. It was made slightly easier since Ryuji was the track coach at Shujin nowadays and he knew his 'niece' and son didn't particularly care for sports. The only problem was that they only knew two names for who was being possibly abused by Miyashita, and one of them was Chiasa. Aya was nowhere to be found, but then again, she was part of the girls' track team and was probably doing her running. They settled for asking every student, female or male, whether or not they'd had a bad run-in with the teacher. Most of the female students who admired him refused to say a bad word, while the male students urged Hanako and Akihisa to bug off about it before they got into trouble.

"It was like this with Kamoshida, too," Morgana stated. "Questioning witnesses was next to impossible, but your dads were both considered delinquents at the time."

"Wait, my dad was a delinquent?!" squeaked Hanako.

"I don't know why he wouldn't tell you about that."

She pursed her lips, then her eyes went past Morgana and Akihisa to where Aya was coming out of the girls' locker room.

"Excuse me." The dark-haired girl went over to Aya, who had sat down on a bench and was scrolling through her phone. "Hattori-san?"

"Oh, hello, Amamiya-san. Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to ask you about Mr. Miyashita, if that's okay?"

"What about him?" Hanako took a deep breath.

"Is he ever… inappropriate with you?" Aya blinked.

"No. Why would he be that way with me?"

"I have no idea. Why does anyone act that way?"

"He hasn't been, so just leave it alone, okay?"

"All right… but if you need somebody to talk to, there are some people."

"I don't need it. But thank you."

Hanako gave her a cautious look, then walked away. She motioned for Akihisa to follow her until they were out of Aya's range of hearing.

"Have you heard anything?"

"No. Sorry. It's… it's slow-going."

"We have one hour until the exhibition's over and then your dad's taking us out for sushi. That means we have four hours until we go back in and kick some Shadow ass."

"I know."

"Amamiya-san? Sakamoto-san?"

They both turned to see Hikaru Watanabe standing there.

"What is it, Watanabe?" Hanako asked.

"You're looking into Miyashita, right?"

"Yeah," Akihisa replied. "You know something?"

"I know something's been going on with Aya. She's been acting weird. I've known her since elementary school and she's been really closed off since last year when she was in Miyashita's homeroom."

"Aya is a victim," Hanako breathed. "But we need proof. Not one of the girls is willing to talk."

"I am if it'll help you, Amamiya-san." She smiled and Akihisa didn't fail to notice Hikaru blushing.

"Tell us what you know."

"Okay… his special projects. I wasn't doing too well towards the beginning of last year and I heard about it from one of the girls in my class. I thought it'd be a great way to boost my grades so I went to ask him about it."

"And…?"

"He told me that there weren't any for guys like me who just needed to work a little harder. But I went after school and he was there with a second-year who was working on some kind of project. His hands were all over her and I ran off before either of them could see me."

"He was _molesting_ her?!"

"Sh! Not so loud! He knows I saw and he's been trying to get me to be quiet ever since!"

"And you never have to say anything else about it. Thanks, Hikaru-kun. Let's go, Aki."

They walked away and Hikaru stared after her for a few moments before heading back towards the building. Chiasa barreled past him on her way to the gate to meet up with her father, brother, and best friend.

"Ah, Chi-chan!" called Mr. Miyashita.

"Yeah?" she called, stopping and allowing him to catch up.

"I'm having a study session this afternoon. Care to join me?"

"I can't. Sorry. My dad's taking us out to have sushi today."

"All right, then. Be sure to pass on the message to Aya-chan."

"Yes, sir!" She mock-saluted then continued on her way.

Before she left, she sent a message to Aya about the study session.

* * *

After sushi with her dad, brother, and best friend, Chiasa returned to the school to talk to Miyashita about perhaps having another study session in place of the one she'd missed. And, as expected, the school was almost completely empty. The sound of her footsteps echoing against the wood in the hallways was creepy and really solidified how quiet it was. Until she passed a bathroom and heard sobbing.

"Hello?" she called, her voice a whisper as she walked further in. "Who's in here?"

Her eyes went around until they rested on a girl huddled by the wall.

It wasn't a school bathroom ghost like urban legends talked about. No, instead, it was Aya Hattori. She was curled into a ball, crying into her folded arms in the darkened space. Chiasa set her bag down and knelt beside Aya, creasing her brow with worry.

"Aya?"

Aya's head shot up and her brown eyes met Chiasa's blue. That was when Chiasa really saw the damage—normally neat brown hair messy and ripped out of its ponytail in chunks, eyes reddened from tears, and the beginnings of a bruise on her left cheek. On instinct, Chiasa wrapped her arms around Aya in a comforting gesture that the brunette leaned into, crying again as they sat there for just a few more minutes.

"Let's get you home, okay?" Chiasa whispered.

"O…okay…"

They walked out of the school and Chiasa glanced around for her brother, who was supposed to have waited for her outside. Her hand leaving Aya was just what the girl seemed to have been waiting for. In that split second, she took advantage of Chiasa's distracted state and stepped out into the busy street, right into the path of an oncoming car. There was screaming and honking and screeching and Chiasa couldn't look away from the now-stopped car or Aya's not-moving—still alive, just completely still—body.

"AYA!"

"She just—" the driver sputtered with a panicked look.

Chiasa knelt next to her sort-of friend.

"Why?"

"He… he did… what they thought. T-tell Amamiya-san I lied… about Miyashita…"

"Miyashita?"

Aya's eyes closed and Chiasa's widened in horror.

"CHI!"

She turned to see Hanako and Akihisa. An ambulance had been called in the meantime and she met eyes with the two. They knew something. That much was true. Exactly what they knew was up for debate but they knew something that she didn't and it was pissing her off. For now, she needed to focus on Aya.

The next day, however, that was all anyone could talk about.

"She tried to kill herself."

"Hattori's always been so quiet. I bet she's been depressed."

"I heard she was gay and she couldn't hide it anymore."

Chiasa was endlessly frustrated by it. How _dare_ they not take this more seriously?! Not only that, but Hanako and Akihisa were avoiding her now. She couldn't pass on Aya's message! She found them after school in an alleyway, huddled with the Amamiya family cat around Hanako's phone as something pulsed out of it. The world around her began to ripple and distort until she was standing before a temple of some kind… and her brother and best friend were looking very different. For one, her brother seemed to be dressed in some kind of velvet-looking suit with a white shirt wearing white gloves. His mask also appeared to be golden. Hanako, on the other hand, wore a black bodysuit-like tux with red lines on the seams and matching red gloves with a white-and-black butterfly mask on her face. It was cooler than anything she'd ever seen them wear before. Not to mention the weird little monster-cat thing by their side.

"What the hell is this?!" she demanded to know.

"Crap," Akihisa whispered.

"Aki, tell me now!"

"I can't. It'll take too long."

"Like hell it will!" She crossed her arms.

"Chi, this isn't up for debate," warned Hanako. "We have work to do."

"NO! Explain it! Why have you been avoiding me all day? And what's with this place and your outfits and the weird monster-cat thing?!"

Before either of them could explain, there were loud shouts. Hanako grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a bush, Akihisa clapping a hand over his sister's mouth as thunderous footsteps passed by. When the coast was clear, they emerged.

"You have to be more quiet," Akihisa told her. "There are guards everywhere and you don't wanna be caught."

"Then explain, quickly." They motioned for her to follow and they began walking through the temple. Chiasa followed them as the monster-cat (who was Morgana, of all things) explained the Metaverse.

"So this is how Miyashita sees the school…"

"That's not all," Morgana sighed. "Look."

Chiasa gazed over the railing to see a room full of people she either recognized as classmates or fellow female students receiving 'extra-credit' help from Miyashita. They all knelt before a statue, and she was horrified to see a version of herself at the front of the crowd. A twisted depiction of Miyashita was watching from not far away, his eyes on the false her with a hunger she'd never seen in reality.

"No…"

"He just sees you as someone to worship him," Akihisa told his sister in a low voice. "We're going to take him down."

"What happened to Aya was his fault." Chiasa gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. "She said to tell you that she lied. He did what you thought."

"No, this goes beyond what we thought," Hanako growled. "If… if this was what we'd thought, then we wouldn't have evidence. But with her bruises and the suicide attempt, it all means it's far worse. He forced himself on her, probably under the guise of a study session since she—what?"

Chiasa's face had paled and her eyes were wide, her expression becoming one of guilt.

"It's my fault." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"How?"

"Yesterday, Miyashita asked me to stay after but when I said I had to meet you, he asked me to tell _her_! She was a _stand-in_ for _me_!"

Her knees buckled beneath her, Akihisa and Hanako standing on either side to keep her from truly collapsing.

"Chi, you have to keep going. If we're gonna toast this mothereffer, we're gonna have to make him confess all his crimes with his own mouth," the elder Sakamoto twin told her.

"I… I know… it's just…"

"Just what?" Chiasa shook her head.

"Take me down there."

"What?!"

"Take. Me. Down. There! I want to do this face-to-face, right now, no effing around! You back me up if things get bad but I want to talk to him right to his rapist pedophile face!"

Wordlessly, the three Phantom Thieves nodded and escorted Chiasa down to the hall of worship. By the time they got down there, however, it was only Shadow Miyashita and Cognitive Chiasa and a few guards. The guards moved instantly to restrain the intruders.

"Wait," Chiasa instructed in a low voice. The guards froze. "Miyashita. Tell me. What did you do to Aya?"

_"Oh. You mean your replacement in yesterday's ceremony. She couldn't handle it, plain and simple. I wanted you for a reason. You were the stronger choice."_

_"I should've known better,"_ Cognitive Chiasa sneered. _"Honestly, all I live for is Miyashita."_

"Okay, now I know it's an effing lie."

_"He's the one who showed me the error of my ways. A woman should not lust after the wrong sort."_

"So in other words, anyone but him?" She shook her head. "I never should've told him about that."

 _"I'm glad you did, though,"_ Shadow Miyashita snorted. _"I can get through to you in a way others can't."_

"Okay, seriously, you need to shut the eff up."

_"It's fine. You just picked up your unsavory habits from your family, but I'll cure you of that!"_

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Chiasa's gaze blazed. "Listen, you piece of shit rat bastard rapist! Leave my family alone! I am _not_ your little fucking minion! I am _not_ your head priestess or sacrifice! You hear me?! I am _done with you_! I will _never_ let you hurt _anyone_ , ever again!"

_Ba-dump._

Her heart pounded in her ears as she began to scream in pain.

_**Finally. It hast taken thou long enough.** _

_Who…?_

_**After so long in the shadows of thine brother, thou must break free of those chains and rebel to show thine true face. Art thou to allow men to dictate how thy must act?** _

_No fucking way. You would know, wouldn't you…?_

_**Then let us form a contract. I am thou… thou art I… let us become the thieves that they believe only men can be!** _

On Chiasa's face appeared a silken-looking pinkish-purple mask, almost like a classical masquerade. Like Hanako and Akihisa before her, Chiasa got a grip on the corner and tore it off in a cascade of blue flames. Behind her appeared a young woman with a matching mask and long reddish-gold curly hair. Her dress matched her mask, but it was loose and flowing. Atop her curls was a crown of white and pink and purple flowers. She had a winning smile, too, one that could easily match Chiasa's when the youngest Sakamoto chose to give her most beautiful grin. She also carried a wooden staff that appeared to be made for bashing heads in like a baseball bat.

 _"GUARDS!"_ barked Shadow Miyashita. _"Take the bitch out!"_

"Oh, Miyashita. You don't get it, do you?" Chiasa lowered her gaze. " _You're_ the bitch here."

She used another staff (one she'd snatched from the hands of a bewildered guard) to crush the head of Cognitive Chiasa. The false girl vanished in red and black smoke and Shadow Miyashita screamed as he turned to run away. Chiasa's pursuit was intercepted by one of the guards stepping between her and her target.

"Time to do this, Marian!"

The staff in Chiasa's hands had transformed into a baseball bat. Akihisa grinned as he remembered elementary school days where he'd go to the library or movies with their mom while Chiasa and their dad went to the batting cages. It appeared her love of smacking things with big wooden sticks had not left her all these years. And he also had a spear that he used for close-range combat. Add Hanako's shield and Morgana's sword and you had a good mix along with the guns and Personas each of them wielded.

As soon as the guards were down, Chiasa collapsed.

"I… can keep… going…"

"No, sis. We need to get the hell out of here." Chiasa glanced down at her outfit.

"Okay, so this is like a tunic-and-tights thing. Sturdy boots, too—Mom always said stilettos were useless for running and you need a sturdy heel for everyday use."

"Let's go before others show up," stated Hanako.

The twins nodded, as did Morgana.

And the party reached four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If only I'd given Chiasa a bow… nah.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	4. The Temple of Lust Disbands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the chapter where I start to reveal codenames. Aki's is currently a placeholder. Please let me know what you think it should be.

"Let me get this straight. To get Miyashita to confess to everything, we just have to steal his Treasure."

"Exactly," Morgana affirmed.

"But you have no idea what it actually is."

"Yeah, I do. It's the core of his cognitive world, the source of his distorted desires that formed that temple in the first place. If we take that and make his Shadow repent, he'll be so overcome with guilt that he'll turn himself in!"

Chiasa sighed.

"Including what he did to Aya."

"He'll pay for what he did," Hanako assured her. "Trust us. And we'll make sure he does."

"For Aya. She deserves it."

The four Phantom Thieves nodded to each other. The plan was set. But according to the cat, there was a more pressing matter.

"Before we start, we need to come up with codenames. We can't just call each other by our real names in there. There's no telling what effect it will have. Back in the day, I went by Mona, and I think I'll hold onto that."

"How about Thorn for Chiasa?" Hanako suggested.

"Where the hell did you get that?" snorted Chiasa.

"Well, Maid Marian, lady of the forest, the staff covered in vines, and you're kinda prickly, if we're being honest."

"Then how about Briar?" Akihisa spoke up. "It sounds cooler."

"Okay, Briar." Chiasa nodded. "We have Briar and Mona. For you, Aki, let's go with Brainiac."

"That's a little on the nose, Chi," Morgana sighed.

"All I can think of is stuff like Bookworm, actually. Hana, you have anything?"

"Um… he's the brains of our team, right? Why not something like Doc?"

"Sounds pretty good," Aki agreed. "Now for Hana."

"I already picked one, actually. Monarch. You know, because of my mask?"

"I don't get it," Chiasa stated bluntly.

"Like a monarch butterfly. It was either that or Mariposa and I think Mariposa's a little too fancy for a codename."

"The new generation of Phantom Thieves—Briar, Mona, Doc, and Monarch," Morgana announced. "All right. We start tomorrow!"

* * *

During the school day, all three teenagers made sure to act like nothing had changed. Everyone was still talking about Aya, though, and Akihisa and Hanako noticed how agitated it seemed to make Chiasa in the halls. Miyashita attempted to speak to her but she made excuses to walk away. This, of course, made things even worse as rumors began to fly that Chiasa and Miyashita were involved, that Aya had found out, that Miyashita had been cheating on her with Aya and _Chiasa_ found out. And with that came the rumors that Chiasa had actually _pushed_ Aya to get her out of the way of her and Miyashita's relationship.

After school they went into the Palace and it was business as usual. Tag-team fights against the Shadows, solving problems, creeping around to avoid Shadow Miyashita and his seeming army of followers and priestesses. Finally, after what to them felt like _hours_ of searching, they found it. A secret chamber behind the statue of Miyashita, a chamber which contained a vast array of treasure… as well as portraits of several female students. That group included Chiasa, Aya, and even Hanako… who had apparently ended up on Miyashita's radar despite the fact that she'd rarely interacted with him before this point. Morgana nodded.

"This is it. The Treasure."

"I… can't see it." Chiasa stared blankly.

"That's because it hasn't manifested yet. To make it appear, we have to make our target aware that it's going to be stolen through a calling card."

"Is… is that what our parents did?" Hanako inquired.

"Yes. And we have to make sure the target sees it. The first time we posted them all over the school. Think we can do that?"

All three teenagers nodded.

* * *

Sadayo Kawakami was not an idiot, a fool, or blind.

Her time at Shujin, particularly during the year Ren Amamiya had spent at the school, had taught her how to spot a good teacher and how to spot one with ill intentions. Since becoming principal things had become more difficult. She was often tied up in meetings and unaware of the day-to-day goings-on outside of what was reported. The incident with Aya Hattori—a second-year who'd thrown herself in front of a car—had made her inform the board that she had more pressing issues and led to her walking into the building that day.

It was like history was echoing through her mind when she unlocked the door and turned on the lights in the hall. Her eyes widened at volume of red and black that was on the bulletin boards, the walls, all over. She knew what it was even before she saw the logo. How could she not when she'd seen that same kind of thing time and time again that one year, more than twenty years ago? It was also like a shock to her heart because this meant that her efforts to make Shujin safer, to do better… they'd failed. Students had been abused _again_ and she'd been unable to stop it.

She stood there in the hallway after dropping off her bag in her office, listening to students come in and eagerly chat about the things on the wall. The faculty knew those symbols just as well as she did, at least the ones who had been teachers and even students back when the first ones had gone up. And of course Akira Miyashita, the subject of the calling card, was utterly _infuriated_ at the sight. Kawakami could see it in his face as he snapped to know who had posted 'such _lies_ '. She gritted her teeth; even if there was no change of heart, she was going to pull his ass into her office and investigate this thoroughly.

_I didn't even hear a whisper of this…_

Then her eyes landed on a small group clustered near the boards. Three students. All three talking in close quarters in a way that was familiar to her. After all, she'd taught their parents at this very school. Now she knew, and it was made even more obvious by a black-and-white cat's head poking out of Hanako Amamiya's school bag for a brief moment. Part of her wanted to pick up the phone and call the girl's father to chew him out for allowing his daughter to participate in the same type of activities that had nearly gotten him thrown in prison during his own second year, but she refrained. She didn't have any proof. Her word would probably be enough for Ren but she wanted evidence.

_Can't say I'm surprised Sakamoto and Takamaki's twins are involved, though…_

Finally, she let out a sigh and took one of the cards off the board before turning to the gathered students and faculty alike.

"Okay, enough gawking! You wanna talk about it, take one and go so you can discuss it during break. It's time to get to class. If you're not gone in five minutes, you're all getting detention!"

The halls emptied pretty quickly and Kawakami turned back towards her office. Miyashita ran after her.

"Principal Kawakami, you know it's all lies, right?" She shook her head.

"Mr. Miyashita, do you know what happened twenty years ago? A teacher was accused of the same thing you are now, only the victims were forced into silence because the principal back then refused to listen. I'm not going to repeat that mistake. I _will_ find out if you were inappropriate with any students, be it Aya Hattori or anyone else. Mark my words."

In her office, she pulled out the calling card and read it over.

_To Akira Miyashita, the False Prophet of Lust: we know what you have done. You have gotten away with it for many years but you will no longer. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail._

_From, the Phantom Thieves._

Quietly, she set it in her desk drawer.

* * *

Somehow, the treasure being another statue of Miyashita wasn't surprising.

"Seriously, how egotistical can that dick be?" snorted Chiasa.

"I think this is barely scratching the surface," Hanako sighed.

"Who's carrying it?" Akihisa asked. Morgana was staring at the statue with a look that Hanako usually saw him reserve for a plate of takeout sushi.

"Uh, Mona?"

"T… treasure…" He leapt onto the statue and Akihisa covered his sister's eyes.

"Monarch, control the damn cat!"

Hanako grabbed Morgana, pulling him off the statue and snapping him out of whatever little funk he'd just been in. Chiasa and Akihisa picked up the statue itself and they went to leave. That was when Shadow Miyashita—who'd been absent from their time in the Palace since Chiasa had awoken her Persona—made his presence known. His guards surrounded them, the priestesses doing much the same as the Phantom Thieves stared him down with their guns in hand. Shadow Miyashita transferred his gaze to her with a smug look of scorn and contempt that could only come from knowing a secret about someone, the kind of secret that the person would be desperate to keep quiet.

_"How dare you. After all I've done for you, this is how you repay my kindness?"_

"What kindness? You were only after my body!"

_"Because you want to ruin it by never giving it to a person who will truly love and appreciate you."_

"What's he talking about?" Morgana whispered.

_"Oh, so they don't know your dirty little secret? Naughty girl. I'll tell them and they'll hate you."_

"Go ahead. I don't give a _fuck_."

"And Chiasa's love life is _her_ business. Not ours and it sure as hell isn't yours," Hanako added, narrowing her steel-grey eyes.

One of the Shadows trembled at her glare. They remembered it, or at least one like it. The one who had toppled the Metaverse before had the same eyes.

_"Enough! Let's finish this! I'll kill you! All of you!"_

He began to grow, his appearance rippling and distorting as his priestesses vanished as well—or rather, they were absorbed into his expanding form. Instead of the perverted teacher there was now a many-headed beast, the largest featuring his face. The monster he'd become let out an echoing cackle that sent chills down the spines of the Phantom Thieves. None of them let it show as Hanako simply fired her pistol to take the first shot against their foe. It shrieked in pain.

_"YOU BITCH!"_

"You really don't get it yet, do you?!" yelled Akihisa.

Their battle was inhibited by the appearance of his priestesses and the fact that they healed him frequently. Luckily, Morgana had a brilliant idea—drop some heavy items that hung from the ceiling on top of the trapdoors that let the priestesses come through. He went off and left the three teenagers to distract Shadow Miyashita long enough for him to leap overhead and slice the ropes.

From there, it was an easy battle.

When the smoke cleared and Shadow Miyashita was defeated, he sat at the feet of his statue. Chiasa stepped towards him, the teacher cowering in fear. Hanako and Akihisa watched carefully.

 _"P-please…"_ he begged. _"Don't…"_

"How many times did someone say that to you?" Chiasa's voice was low. "I trusted you. Aya trusted you. And you destroyed it because you're a piece of garbage."

_"I know. I'm sorry! I'll—I'll apologize and confess everything!"_

"You better. And we'll be taking your Treasure now, too." Shadow Miyashita nodded, and the statue shrunk to the size of a trophy—easy to carry. As Chiasa held the statue in her hands, the man faded and vanished…

And then the temple began coming down.

Panicking, the Phantom Thieves began running for the exit. Chiasa carried the statue out as Morgana leapt from Akihisa to her to Hanako, who was at the head of the pack. He was in his cat form again and before they knew it, they'd landed on their asses in the alley they'd entered the Palace from. Hanako pulled out her phone and the words "Temple of Lust" were being erased.

 _"The destination has been deleted,"_ the nav's voice told them.

"We did it!" cheered Akihisa, leaping to his feet. "Let me see the Treasure."

Chiasa held it up. The statue of Miyashita had instead become one of his awards for teaching. It didn't bear his name, which meant that they could easily sell it off if they wanted. Hanako had a smile on her face.

"We won. I can't believe it."

"I can't wait to tell Aya!" Chiasa squealed.

_She's really happy. Chi doesn't squeal like that unless she's really happy._

"Hana and I are going home," Akihisa told his sister. "You can go tell Aya and meet us there."

"No, not yet. I want to hear Miyashita confess first to make sure this wasn't in vain."

"Good plan," Morgana agreed.

* * *

By the following Monday (they'd stolen the Treasure on a Wednesday), Miyashita had been out of school since Thursday. Nobody had heard anything but rumors had flown about how the weird calling cards had scared him or that he was being threatened by somebody to stay away. Principal Kawakami had announced that they were having an assembly that day. Everybody knew it must've been about Aya and Miyashita. Chiasa glared at a pair of girls who were whispering about her before Akihisa grabbed her hand and they met with Hanako in the gym.

"I know that last week's events must still be fresh in everyone's minds," Kawakami began. "But to be honest, Shujin has gotten through this before. And we will get through it again. My only request is—"

She was cut off by the door swinging open to reveal Miyashita.

"Mr. Miyashita?"

"I must repent," he announced to the gym as he ambled towards the stage. "For the grave sins of the flesh I have committed, I must repent before those I have wronged."

"You need to leave before you say—"

He faced the student body.

"I must apologize for my wrongdoing. My victims… you all know who you are… I am sorry. I let my success and your devotion to learning from me blind me to what I was meant to be doing. For Miss Sakamoto, you were the lucky one in that you kept me at bay. And for Miss Hattori… I can never in my life make up for what I did." Tears were running down his face. "She tried to kill herself because of me! Please, someone, call the police!"

Kawakami quickly rushed to make sure he was restrained and escorted out of the building. She then announced that they would be dismissing for the rest of the day. Chiasa went to the hospital while her brother and best friend went to go sell off the trophy. On her way there she purchased a bouquet of flowers, one that the seller proclaimed were 'apology flowers'. Before she knew it, she was standing outside of Aya's hospital room.

"Hello there."

She turned to see a woman who was unmistakably Aya's mother.

"Oh, hello."

"Are you a friend of my daughter's?"

"Yes. I came to give her these… not that she'll see them."

"You didn't hear? She woke up earlier today."

"Really?!"

"Yes. I'm going to start filling out the paperwork to have her begin physical therapy. You can sit with her if you want."

Chiasa entered the room and saw Aya staring out the window.

"Hi, Aya-chan." Aya turned and her eyes widened.

"Chi-chan! Are those for me?"

"Yep." She handed the bouquet to her friend, who smiled brightly before frowning again.

"I… I'm sorry. I can't believe I…"

"After what Miyashita did to you, I don't blame you for trying to end it. But… he confessed everything."

"H-he did?!"

"This morning. The police arrested him two hours ago." Aya's eyes filled with tears and she started to cry. "Aya-chan, please don't…"

"He's really gone. He won't…"

"Never again."

They sat there for a few more minutes, talking and trying to lighten the mood. Then Mrs. Hattori came back in and Chiasa noticed something. Aya's father wasn't there. She remembered that Aya had mentioned that her father had left when she was a young child and she hadn't seen him since. Maybe that was why she'd fallen under Miyashita's influence; prior to what he'd done, he'd acted like a father to Aya and that was probably how he'd drawn her in.

Before too much longer, Chiasa had to leave and she caught the train back home. There, Hanako and Akihisa were playing a fighting game and as usual, her brother was getting his ass handed to him by their oldest friend. Akihisa let out a groan as he threw his controller down in defeat.

"How was Aya?" Hanako asked, setting hers on the table.

"She woke up. She's better now, but she's got a long way to go." Chiasa bit her lip as she sat down on the couch. "Can… can I tell you guys something?"

"Of course," Akihisa replied. "Anything."

"Remember how Miyashita kept saying all that shit about how he wanted me to give myself to the right people and loving someone who wouldn't appreciate me?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well… last year, I figured something out about myself. I didn't tell either of you because I didn't know how you'd take it but I told Mr. Miyashita. And I'm really not going to sugarcoat it or beat around the bush anymore." She took a deep breath. "I'm gay."

They stared at her and Hanako blinked.

"You're gay?"

"Yeah. I sort of developed this crush on Aya last year and figured it out. You guys aren't mad about it, are you?"

"No!" Akihisa assured her. "You're still Chiasa no matter who you think is hot."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Her eyes went over to a framed picture on the end table. "I'm really lucky to have you both. And Mom and Dad, too."

"What's with all the sappy stuff?" teased Morgana.

"It's… it's nothing. I'm just realizing a lot today."

The door opened and her dad's voice rang through the room.

"I'm home!"

Chiasa leapt up as Ryuji came into the house with a suitcase in his hand. She ran over, nearly tackling him in a hug. He was understandably confused as his daughter had not voluntarily hugged him in that way since she was in elementary school.

"Chi, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I'm just really glad you're here," she replied in a small voice. He hugged her back and Ann appeared behind him. Chiasa extended the hug to her mother and brother, and since she was basically family anyway, Hanako was included.

That night, everyone met up at the Amamiya house to watch the news report on Akira Miyashita and his arrest. Hanako and Ren made coffee, which was handed to all the adults. Juice was handed out to the kids (and Ryuji, whose palate had never matured enough to enjoy coffee). With everyone gathered, Chiasa took a deep breath. She'd already come out to Aki and Hana. Now it was time for the rest of her weird family that wasn't actually related.

"Hey, everyone?" she spoke up. "I have something to say."

All eyes were on her.

"I'm gay." She sipped her coffee and there was dead silence.

"And…?" Ryuji tried.

"And what?"

"You don't just make an announcement like that and then not have anything else to say! Do you have a girlfriend or something?"

"Nope. Not yet."

"If you need a hand I can help you," Futaba offered, straightening her glasses.

"She's sixteen!" Ryuji protested.

"You started dating Ann when you were seventeen," Makoto pointed out.

"That's different!"

"Well, thanks for telling us," Ann told her daughter. "I'm glad you felt like you were able to."

"I thought old people had a problem with people being gay," Chiasa stated.

"Not this group. Trust me."

Chiasa smiled.

Their first heist was a success and her secret was out in the open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this might've moved a little fast, but the beginning of the game (once tutorial crap was over) moved pretty quick, too. I have already worked out all the remaining party members (two of whom will be introduced soon and one who has been mentioned already) and currently I'm working out the kinks with the plot. Much of the beginning (I'd say up to the fourth Palace) is worked out but beyond that things are iffy.
> 
> Also, credit to this story's (uncredited because she doesn't have an account) co-creator for the scene where Chi comes out to the family!
> 
> Anyway, please leave a review if you can. I'm really trying here. And I'd love to hear codename suggestions!
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	5. The Velvet Library

_"Ah, hello again!"_

_Hanako's eyes went over to where Igor was seated at his desk again. Lavenza emerged from behind a bookcase._

_"I don't understand. Why am I here?" Hanako asked._

_"Simple—you succeeded in your first task," Igor replied. "Very good!"_

_"Thank you, I guess? Anyway, we're done now."_

_"No, you're not," Lavenza sighed. "Unfortunately, it appears that someone is planning something. If you do not continue with this, the world may fall to ruin."_

_"Ruin?" Hanako stared at her in shock._

_"It was avoided long ago by your father's efforts. Now it's up to you, Hanako Amamiya."_

_"I really don't understand anything about what's going on."_

_"Then perhaps we should offer more assistance. Should you ever need a Persona that you do not have, come see us. We'll be glad to help you. After all, it is our duty to guide you on the path to avoid ruin."_

_"Should I ask my father about it?"_

_"I'm afraid asking him wouldn't do any good," Igor told her. "Even though he avoided ruin before you were born, the threat this time is different. I am blind beyond your eyes and this room."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"He means that he is unable to see what is happening in the Metaverse unless you are there," Lavenza explained. "You are his window into reality and the cognitive world."_

_"I… how am I supposed to convince the others to continue? Chiasa and Akihisa have done what they wanted to do and I can't go alone with Morgana."_

_"Think it through. You're a smart person. I'm certain you can think of something."_

_A bell echoed through the library._

_"Ah, that would be the signal," Igor mused, pulling something out of a drawer. "Take this. It will allow you to enter this place from reality and the Metaverse provided you can find the door it goes to. This is the first gift I am able to give you."_

_Hanako stepped forward and took the object from Igor. It was an old-fashioned key, the handle a delicate butterfly pattern. He smiled kindly, or at least as kindly as a goblin-man could. Lavenza smiled at her, too, and Hanako looked to see a door had opened near the bench where she'd awoken the past two times. That was before another bell echoed through her ears._

_"I am thou, thou art I," Lavenza stated. "Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains that bind humanity. With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…"_

_A card appeared in her hand, depicting the Fool before it vanished. Her eyes went to Igor, who gave her a nod. She nodded in return, walking to the door and using her newfound key on it._

Her eyes fluttered open to find that she was once again in her bedroom. Morgana was asleep at her feet, as had become the norm since she had discovered his secret. Sitting up, she realized there was something in her hand. It was the key that Igor had given her, sparkling slightly in the early-morning light. That was when she realized that she was awake before her alarm for once… and she didn't have school that day. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, heading downstairs to find some breakfast and figure out her plans for the day.

As she'd expected, her parents weren't home. They were probably at their respective offices, which meant that she and Yoshida were on their own for the day. Her mind swirled with thoughts of the Velvet Room and how to convince the twins to continue on with being Phantom Thieves beyond just Miyashita. By the time she'd finished her breakfast Morgana and Yoshida had both come downstairs, the latter simply grabbing his own morning meal and retreating back to his room. Morgana stayed, Hanako making sure to fill his food bowl.

"I think I'll wander around Shibuya today," she told the cat.

"Good idea. You can keep an eye out for anything that might help us in the Metaverse."

She nodded and went back upstairs to get ready for the day. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a long-sleeved top that was red from her chest up and white below that. She also wore a simple pair of jean capris and black canvas high-top sneakers. Once she was ready to go out, she shot a quick text to her parents in case they came home early and left the house.

As she'd expected, the station was crowded. She stood and waited for her train with Morgana in her bag, the cat seemingly uninterested in having a conversation with her while she waited. Her eyes scanned her phone screen, particularly the web browser and a news report regarding Miyashita. While it might've seemed to the casual observer that she was completely engrossed in her phone, the truth was that Hanako had been taught from an early age how to have her wits about her at all times, particularly on the train. Her eyes were on her phone, sure, but she was also listening and glancing up every ten seconds or so to make sure nobody was coming to mess with her or her bag.

"…it'll be fine. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I promise that we'll be able to clear this up next week."

Hanako glanced at the person coming towards her. He was about her age, tall with reddish-brown hair and dark eyes. His thin frame was only accented by the suit he wore, as if he were going to a meeting at a major company. In one hand he held his phone (he was having quite a heated conversation with the person on the other end) and in the other he had a briefcase. Now, normally he wouldn't have garnered her attention with the suit and briefcase and such, but most of the time people like him weren't people her age. So he intrigued her slightly.

"Good. Make sure to fill out the paperwork. I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone as he stood beside her, his gaze resting on the screen for a moment before he turned his eyes to her. "Oh, hello."

"Hello," she replied.

"Lovely day, isn't it? I wish I didn't have to work." His smile was kind, but she knew better than to just blindly trust kind smiles. "Where are you off to?"

"Shibuya."

"Ah. How unfortunate that we don't have the same destination."

"I suppose so." She shifted her bag, making Morgana peek out slightly—just enough so he wouldn't be caught.

The train arrived shortly after and she and the stranger found themselves packed on with everyone else riding it that morning. When her stop came and she went to get off, he gave her a wave as if he hoped to see her again. It was a bit of a bizarre experience but she wrote it off as someone being overly friendly.

On Main Street, she found her way down the back alley that she and Akihisa had gone down just a few days earlier to sell the Treasure from Miyashita's Palace. Without another thought she entered the store called Untouchable. The man behind the counter glanced up at her from his magazine before letting out a sigh and going back to reading. Hanako wandered up and down the aisles, keeping careful track of her spending money in accordance with some kind of celebration that Chiasa insisted they have. She managed to find a new model pistol for herself and a shotgun for Chiasa. When she brought it up to the counter, the clerk took one look at her items and then glared at her, putting his magazine down.

"Now what does a girl like you need all this for?" he asked.

"My father is a collector," she replied smoothly. "These are gifts for him."

The clerk chuckled, surprising her.

"Don't think I don't recognize you. You came in the other day and sold me some weird shit—a teaching award."

_Dammit._

"And I already know your old man's a collector. Hell, I've sold him his entire collection at this point and a lot of it is customized. He already has these. Now, if I had to guess… I'd say you don't want him to know about you having them and you don't want to borrow from his stash."

"…no."

"Alright, then." He rang her up and gave her the total. "Be discreet when you come here, got it? I don't need any cops sniffing around because I sold a sixteen-year-old girl a model."

"How'd you know I'm sixteen?"

"Pretty simple—I've known your dad since before you were born. Now, go on and get out of here."

She nodded, tucking her purchases into her bag and leaving the store. On her way out of the alley she spotted a glowing blue door seemingly standing there unattached to any buildings. She bit her lip as she remembered the key in her pocket and used it on the lock. The door opened effortlessly and she stepped through, suddenly finding herself in the library that was the Velvet Room.

"Ah, Miss Hanako!" Igor greeted her. "I see you have found your way here once again. And so soon after our last chat!"

"I saw the door in the alley and I thought the key might work."

"You're learning! Good! Now, what can we assist you with?"

"Nothing, I guess? I'm still not sure what this place is."

Lavenza once again emerged from behind a bookcase, her golden eyes seeming to pierce Hanako's very being. It was intimidating, if not a little creepy. She still held the blue-and-gold bound book in her arms.

"This is a place that is between the Metaverse and your world," the girl explained.

"Okay…?"

"I guess you could consider us a repository of sorts. Here you can register your Personas and create new ones by fusing what you have. Or you can summon ones that you have registered in the past. If you require those services, simply inform me of that fact and I will help you as much as I am able to."

"Oh." Hanako sat down on the bench and gazed at the two. "How does that work?"

"Simple. Each of these books—" she gestured around the room "—represents a different Persona. In order to fuse them, you tell me which ones to retrieve and I rewrite their books to create your requested mask."

"That makes sense, I guess."

"As far as which Personas you hold, they are on this shelf." Lavenza walked over to a small bookshelf that contained only a few books. The names of the Personas that Hanako held—Irene, Pixie, Berith, Kelpie, Silkie, and Agathion—were written on the spines.

"So if this is a library, I'm simply borrowing each of the books and they're kept on my shelf. Is that how it always works?"

"No. In the past, this room has ranged from an elegant lounge to a limousine. It reflects the user's heart. The user before you… for him, it was a prison. For you, it is a library."

Hanako nodded before standing up.

"I'll be back. For now, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Very well. We will see you soon."

Hanako went to the door, opening it and finding herself back in the alley. Her bag had returned to her shoulder. It appeared no time at all had passed while she was in the Velvet Room and Morgana hadn't even noticed that she'd gone through the door. With a sigh, she headed to the bookstore to try and find something new to read. Failing that she wandered up and down Main Street and through Station Square before heading home for the day.

* * *

"How good is this place again?"

"We pay the fee and we get an hour to eat," Hanako explained. "I've been here with Mom and Dad a couple times, usually for functions of some kind. The food's good but don't overload yourself."

"Screw that—I'm eating half the buffet!" Chiasa laughed.

Hanako giggled a little in response.

Today was the day that they were celebrating their victory over Miyashita. She'd come up with the idea to go to a fancy hotel buffet, an idea that Chiasa and Akihisa had readily agreed to. Morgana was compliant as well, though he only requested that they not get him any beans.

Finding a place to sit was easy. Hanako sat for a few minutes while the twins filled their plates and when they returned, she went to get one of her own. As she went to each table she could hear conversations around her about various subjects—celebrity gossip, who was likely to win that December's elections (her father appeared to be a favorite), and the Phantom Thieves. A number of them were speculating as to whether or not the Phantom Thieves who had struck at Miyashita could be the same ones that had captured Japan's interest so many years ago.

_I need to ask Mom and Dad about it at some point… or at the very least, Morgana._

"…why on Earth is there a child here?" she heard a well-dressed woman complain. "Honestly! You think this place would have higher standards!"

"It's gone downhill, to be frank. How else could a girl like her get in here?"

Hanako turned slightly, making eye contact with the man who'd made that comment. He gasped and stepped backwards in surprise.

"She's… she's Dietman Amamiya's daughter! That's how!"

The woman's eyes were wide with shock as well. Hanako gave them a smile as they stammered out apologies and sidestepped them both in order to return to the twins. Chiasa took one look at Hanako's face and smirked.

"Someone recognized you again, didn't they?"

"Nobody does until they see my eyes, it seems," Hanako chuckled.

"They _are_ exactly like your dad's," Akihisa mused. "Now, hurry up and eat!"

Not too long after, Chiasa found herself needing to use a restroom from overindulging in the rich food. Hanako went with her so she wouldn't get lost while Akihisa remained upstairs. He'd been significantly less zealous than his sister in his efforts to enjoy the buffet. The two girls emerged from the restroom on a different floor due to the one upstairs being closed for cleaning. They stood awaiting the elevator as Chiasa sighed.

"Sorry, Hana…"

"It's not your fault. You're not used to stuff like this."

"And you are?"

"Not particularly. I don't go to things like this often enough to get used to it, but Mom and Dad have taught me to use moderation."

"Can you teach me?"

"Of course!" Hanako's smile was genuine, unlike it'd been with the two snobs upstairs.

Suddenly, Chiasa was bumped aside as men in black suits approached the elevator. She let out an indignant 'hey!' that was met with a glare.

"We were here first!" she snapped.

"We're in a hurry," the man who'd shoved her shot back.

"So because you're in a hurry it excuses being an asshole?!"

"Shut up, kid!"

"Sir, she and I were here first," Hanako told him in a stern tone. "Apologize for pushing her instead of asking her to move aside."

The man appeared shocked that someone had spoken to him in such a way, but his expression quickly turned to stone-faced indifference. Before anybody else could say anything, a man in a fancy white suit walked up. His face made Hanako uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure why. She'd certainly never seen him before now.

"Hmph. Is this place running a daycare now?" the man sneered. "Though I supposed letting them in wasn't the worst idea."

His eyes raked up and down both Chiasa and Hanako, making both girls shudder in discomfort. They backed away out of a desire to _not_ share an elevator with this creep and his cronies.

"I must say, however, that if they are going to act in such a way that children are not permitted in. Simple as that."

As the group headed upstairs and another elevator arrived, Chiasa appeared to be fuming. Akihisa wasn't in a good mood either when they finally reached him. He'd apparently had a run-in with another well-dressed asshole who blamed him for the food tasting bad because he reeked of being a punk, whatever that meant. Hanako could sense her opportunity to keep the Phantom Thieves going again.

"Maybe we shouldn't stop," she mused.

"What do you mean?" Akihisa asked.

"I mean, what if we keep going? There's bound to be plenty of terrible people that we can steal the hearts of, just like Miyashita."

"People like the creep in the elevator," Chiasa agreed. "I'd love to kick the shit out of him."

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Morgana warned. "If you do, there's no turning back. You're going to see this through."

"Yeah," Akihisa spoke up. "I want to."

"It's settled, then!" Chiasa stated. "I say Hana's our leader. Anybody disagree?"

The two boys shook their heads.

"And we'll need a team name," Akihisa pointed out.

_It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains that bind humanity…_

_Wings of rebellion…_

Hanako dug into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. Quickly she drew an image of a butterfly with flaming wings surrounded by broken chains. Underneath it she wrote the words 'Wings of Rebellion'. When it was finished, she turned it around to show the twins. They both had wide eyes.

"Wings of Rebellion?" Chiasa appeared to be mulling the words around in her head. "I love it. It's so badass."

"Yeah!" Akihisa agreed. "The logo, too—it's perfect for calling cards."

Hanako couldn't help but smile. She had a feeling that their team wasn't quite complete yet, but it was enough for now. They had a name and a logo. They were now the Wings of Rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna try to draw the logo if I can or bug my sister to do it. It'll become the cover image for this story once it's done. I've spent a few days on this chapter and I'm rather pleased with it. Next time we'll be meeting our Yusuke character… who might have a surprising name given their association with a particular field.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


	6. Music and Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is about to take a backseat for a bit. I am planning to participate in ShuHaru Week this year and a few of those will expand on the universe of 'Wings of Rebellion'. As such, this is the last chapter of this story I will post until that week is over. That is June 7 to June 13.
> 
> Also, edits have been made to the last couple chapters thanks to my favorite reviewer, HartshornN.
> 
> ON WITH OUR NEW TEAM MEMBER!

Going back to school was an interesting experience.

Everyone was talking about what had happened with Miyashita. Hanako found herself keeping her head down in class to avoid the questions of her classmates. What made it a little harder happened when she was packing up to meet the twins after school was over. As she went to leave the classroom, Hikaru Watanabe ran up to her and tapped her shoulder. She turned to face him, puzzled.

"Yes?"

"Hey… you had something to do with Miyashita, didn't you?" he whispered. She blinked.

"Sorry. I didn't."

"It's okay. I know you did. And I want you to know that I'm behind you, one hundred percent." He fumbled with his phone. "I made this site to support you guys with a poll. See?"

She looked at the screen. On it was a website entirely in black, red, and white. The homepage depicted a poll asking 'do you believe in the Phantom Thieves?' It was at nine percent 'yes', which was higher than she'd expected. There were also comments, most of which were dismissive of what she and the others had done.

"It's actually based off an old website I found. The old one's been inactive for over twenty years but mine's shiny and new! You like it?"

"It's definitely… interesting."

"Right? I'll be right here if you ever need me!"

Suddenly, there was that tinkling bell again, and Lavenza's voice echoed in her ears.

_**I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh the chains that bind humanity. With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…** _

A tarot card depicting the moon appeared over Hikaru's head and vanished.

_My bonds with others must be important._

"I'll keep it in mind. Thank you. I really have to meet the others now."

"Okay, but would you mind giving me your contact information so I can keep you updated?"

She pulled out her phone and they did just that. That done, she headed up to the roof where the twins were waiting. When she got there she set down her bag and allowed Morgana to get out and stretch his kitty legs.

"So, if we're going to keep doing this, we need to find a new target," Akihisa told the two girls. "I was checking out this site that Watanabe-san made and a few people are making suggestions."

"Any with a full name?" Morgana inquired.

"Not that I've seen yet."

"He showed it to me a few minutes ago," Hanako said. "I'll look, too."

"Got one!" announced Chiasa before Hanako could even open the site on her phone. "Eiji Saito. According to this, he's been stalking his ex-girlfriend. She's freaking out because she thinks he might do something drastic."

"Let's head to the station," Morgana told the three. "There's something I need to show you."

At the station, Morgana's instructions for the Nav were simple—Eiji Saito and Mementos. The Nav activated, bringing them to a twisted version of the subway system. Hanako could feel something beneath her feet, far far below. She could also feel something in the air, something akin to madness or death that she couldn't quite place in her mind, twisting, pulling, tugging at her with hands nobody could see. Her eyes went to the twins and Morgana, who were talking about the purpose of this place. From what she heard, she knew that this was a general Palace for the public and that it was the birthplace of Miyashita's awful temple. But then she could hear it.

_Trickster._

_Come to me…_

A voice. Deep and commanding. It called to her from wherever this place ended, beckoning her to come find the speaker. She shook it from her head and then realized that Morgana was calling her name.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Sorry. This place is just… weird."

"Well, I was just saying that it's too big for us to navigate on foot. So… I have a surprise."

He backed away and did some hand movements before leaping into the air. There was a puff of smoke and then he'd turned into… a car?! Hanako's eyes were wide, pushing the voice out of her mind even more as her full attention was on Morgana.

"You can do that?!" yelled Chiasa.

"Yep! Your parents were just as impressed. And I didn't do this in the Palace because there wasn't enough space, just so you know. Go ahead and get in."

Hanako, Chiasa, and Akihisa climbed into the Morgana-car. Chiasa settled in the backseat with her brother while Hanako sat behind the wheel. She drove along the tracks, the team occasionally fighting Shadows until they reached where Morgana said Eiji Saitou was waiting. The stalker's Shadow bemoaned how his ex-girlfriend rightfully belonged to him and that she had no right to go off on her own. The group, of course, beat the absolute crap out of him and he went down fairly easily.

 _"I… I'm sorry…"_ he sighed. _"I've lost so much and when I lost her… I couldn't take it."_

"You need to take a look at where you started and see how you got here," Hanako told him. "Then maybe you can figure out where you lost your way."

_"Hey, why are you picking on me? You should be going after people like Yamada! She's the one who ruined my life! I promise!"_

The Shadow faded away and Hanako grabbed the tiny Treasure. She'd be able to sell it later, but the specific namedrop of a possible target worried her slightly. And it appeared she wasn't alone in that fact as the twins glanced quizzically at each other.

"Who the hell is Yamada?" inquired Chiasa.

"I have no idea," Akihisa replied. "It's a pretty common name."

"We can discuss it later," Morgana insisted. "For now, we need to head as far down as we can today."

Hanako nodded.

When they did reach the bottom, they found a door barring their path. It didn't budge no matter what they did, and that meant they had to head home for the day. They separated at the train station and Hanako arrived home not too long after.

"Welcome home," her mother greeted her, looking up from the paperwork she was doing. "How was your day?"

"Tiring. I'm just going to eat dinner and study for a little bit before bed."

"Good idea." Hanako went to get her dinner, then Haru spoke up again. "Oh, I forgot to tell you—Yusuke is having a party in honor of his latest exhibition. He wants you and the twins to attend."

"Really? He wants _Chiasa_ there?"

"Well, he thinks that it's something the three of you would enjoy, but you know how he is."

"Yeah. I'm happy to go, though."

"Good." Haru smiled brightly. "Enjoy your dinner."

Hanako couldn't help but think about her father's absence from the house as of late, particularly since school had started. She could remember a time when he was home every night, helping her with homework or playing games with her and Yoshida or even just watching a movie with her mother while they cuddled on the couch. Part of her wished he wasn't so busy all the time but he'd worked hard to get where he was and she wanted to make him proud instead of whining.

So much had changed since she was a child and she wasn't sure she liked it…

* * *

Parties had never really been Akihisa's scene.

Granted, they weren't really Chiasa and Hanako's thing, either, but at least Hanako had experience when it came to formal social events. He was standing in the corner of his uncle Yusuke's living room, trying not to make eye contact with any of the 'high-society' types that tended to show up to things like this. Chiasa and Hanako were discussing something that he didn't quite understand and it made him uncomfortable. In the crowd he could see his mother and father talking to their friends as well as the rest of his bizarre family going about their business.

_My throat feels so freaking dry…_

"I'm going to get more punch," he told the girls with a sigh.

"Don't get lost," his sister teased.

"Yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes and walked over to the refreshment table with his cup in hand. He let out another sigh as he filled it up, taking a sip and wondering how fast he could get out of here.

Suddenly, somebody yelped and fell into him, nearly causing him to spill his drink. On instinct he caught whoever it was and set down his cup, looking to see who had been tripped like that.

As soon as he saw her his breath caught in his throat.

She had blue-black hair that was swept into a bun on top of her head and large dark eyes. Her stature was rather small but he could tell she was about his age based on the way that she carried herself. She gasped and stood back up, dusting off her dress.

"I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

"No, it's okay," he assured her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thank you." She smiled a little and he felt his heart beat a little faster. "My name is Sayaka. And you are…?"

"Akihisa. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you." Sayaka looked curious. "Are you a student of the arts as well?"

"Oh, no. My parents are good friends of Yusuke Kitagawa and he invited me. What kind of art do you do?"

"I'm a violinist. My teacher is a friend of Kitagawa-san so she insisted I come here tonight to meet people. I spend most of my time practicing, so I'm not exactly the best at making conversation or being social."

"Me either. I only have two friends and one of them is my twin sister."

"I'm an only child. At least you have her."

"Well, maybe… maybe we could—"

"Sayaka!"

A woman with black hair that had a few elegant streaks of grey swooped over and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Come along. There's someone I want you to meet." The woman nodded at Akihisa. "This young man can wait."

"Yes, Sensei." Sayaka was led away and Akihisa was left mentally punching himself.

"Swing and a miss," Chiasa told her brother as she and Hanako walked up.

"Chi, please stop," he groaned.

"Hey, she was cute. Sorry you got interrupted."

"Me, too. I was going to ask if she wanted to be friends but…"

"Well, at least we didn't make things more awkward," Hanako pointed out.

"She's a violinist, apparently. And her teacher is friends with Yusuke, which might make it easier to have another chance to talk to her."

"Aw… my baby brother has a little crush!" Chi smirked and Akihisa rolled his eyes.

"Great. I'll be sure to return the favor when you get a girlfriend. And I'm older than you."

"By five minutes!"

"Excuse me?" Akihisa turned to see Sayaka had returned with a shy smile. "Sensei is holding a musical exhibition starting in a couple days. I'd love it if you came."

"And I'd love to come." She smiled wider and handed him an envelope.

"There are three tickets in here. Your sister and your friend can come, too."

The amount of hope in her voice made it impossible for Chiasa and Hanako to turn down the invitation (even though neither of them really cared for the types of music that would undoubtedly be at this event). Plus, it was an opportunity to watch Akihisa make a friend outside their small group… or find a girlfriend, that was good too. Sayaka walked away and Akihisa opened the envelope, pulling out one of the tickets and reading the name of the event.

" 'A Celebration of Musical Styles as presented by… Ayano Yamada'?!"

"Yamada… isn't that the name that…" Chiasa murmured.

"We definitely have to go, then," Hanako spoke up. "We need to investigate this."

And on the first day (the day they had tickets for), the three arrived at the exhibition hall. It was already filled with melodies that should never have worked together but somehow did. There were also speakers and screens displaying the music of Ayano Yamada, the violinist who was hosting and also happened to be Sayaka's teacher. Chiasa appeared uninterested in what was so captivating the audience that had gathered, but Hanako peered at it all with a slightly discerning eye. Akihisa, on the other hand, was keeping an eye out for Sayaka. And, as if on cue, she appeared with a big smile, running up to the group.

"You came!" she cheered.

"Of course we did," Akihisa replied, smiling back.

"We'll let you two enjoy yourselves," Chiasa told her brother. "C'mon, Hana."

With that, Akihisa was left alone with Sayaka. She appeared as nervous as he was as they walked around and looked at some of the booths that were set up. At one, Akihisa stopped and listened to the sound of Ayano playing an original song she'd written. The song was a mournful melody that had clearly been written out of a great pain. Layered underneath the sorrow was some kind of anger and confusion, all of it twisting together into something audible. He could feel every scrap of it in his heart.

"This is… wow."

"You like it?"

"I can't exactly say that I like it but it's amazing. I didn't realize you could put so much emotion into a piece." Sayaka frowned.

"There's better music than this, I promise. Let's go somewhere else."

Her response caught him off-guard, but he didn't say anything. Instead he followed her away from the booth. He still couldn't help but glance back at it, though.

Chiasa and Hanako, on the other hand, had nearly been stampeded by a crowd on its way to see Ayano. They'd already left and Chiasa sent a text to her brother to meet them at the station when he was done with Sayaka. Hanako, on the other hand, was trolling the Phantom Thieves forum in order to find out if anyone else had requested Ayano Yamada.

"She seems nice enough," Hanako stated pointedly. "I can't see her abusing kids like some of these posts are saying… and stealing music written by her students?"

"We could always ask Aki to ask his girlfriend."

"They're not together yet, Chi."

"They _could_ be. A lot can change in an afternoon."

"I guess…"

"Hey guys," Akihisa greeted them as he walked up. "Why'd you leave?"

"Almost getting trampled will do that. How was your future girlfriend?"

"It's not like that!" His cheeks turned bright pink.

"We found some stuff. Ayano Yamada's been requested a couple of times on the forums."

Hanako had already opened the Nav.

_"Candidate found."_

"She's got one?" Akihisa's eyes widened while Hanako nodded.

"We just need a location and a distortion," she informed the twins. "I'm sure Morgana will be happy to help us find both of those. If I had to guess for location… maybe her house?"

"That makes sense, since most of the requests say she abuses her students—" Chiasa replied before her brother cut her off.

"What kind of abuse?" he asked.

"According to the forums, it's physical and psychological. I'm not surprised that Eiji Saito developed a Shadow if that's true."

"Then… I want to figure this out. From what Sayaka-chan told me, she's the only one of Yamada-san's students left." He reached into his pocket. "She also gave me her contact information and her address."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Chiasa cheered. "Well done."

The plan was made; in a couple days (after their social studies trip to the TV station), they would go to Ayano Yamada's residence for further investigation. It was a plan that satisfied the whole team, especially once Morgana was informed of said plan.

They were almost ready for their new target.

* * *

"This is so fricking boring."

Hanako glanced at Chiasa while the younger Sakamoto watched their tour guide.

"I wish I hadn't signed up for this one."

"Didn't you say you couldn't figure out which destination you wanted to go to?" Akihisa sighed. "It could've been a lot worse."

Their guide droned on about how commercials and show-tapings and scheduling worked while Chiasa appeared to have completely lost interest. Eventually, a newscaster came up and complained about the disruptions, upon which they were told that they were to divide into groups to learn about things more in-depth. Hanako was hand-picked by some of the hair-and-makeup crew to come help out, while Chiasa and Akihisa found themselves helping move cables for the cameras. Once it was all said and done (and one of the makeup artists had freaked out because she was working with Hanako), the trio met in the hallway.

"I'm so beat. What should we do now?" Chiasa asked. Morgana poked his head out of Hanako's bag.

"We should go get some sushi!" he suggested.

"You just want to steal some of mine," Hanako teased.

"Sushi sounds good, but I think I want some ramen," Akihisa stated.

"Either is fine with me. As long as it's food," Chiasa stated.

"We'll do a coin flip on the train. Heads it's sushi, tails it's ramen."

Hanako giggled a little.

"Oh, hello again."

She turned to see the boy she'd run into on the train. He was still dressed in a sharp-looking suit and carrying his briefcase. He also still had his charming smile.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"You know this guy?" Chiasa asked, tilting her head.

"No. We ran into each other on the train once," Hanako explained.

"Well, it appears fate had it in mind for us to meet again," the boy chuckled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Daisuke Fujimoto. And you are?"

"Hanako Amamiya."

"Oh, the daughter of Dietman Amamiya?"

"… yes…"

"How intriguing…"

"I wouldn't say it's that interesting," Chiasa snorted.

"No, I'm saying it's intriguing because… well… tomorrow I'm supposed to have an interview done. The person I was supposed to be interviewed with unfortunately had to cancel, which means there will be an empty spot unless I can find someone to sit with me. Would you be willing to be that person, Amamiya-san?"

"Me?"

"Your father is a prominent figure. Surely you're used to media attention."

"Not really, but it would be an interesting experience."

"I'll be sure to let them know, then. Good luck with your sushi!"

He walked away and Hanako felt confused. She was getting such mixed signals from this guy and it wasn't sitting right with her. Well, at any rate, she was going to be interviewed tomorrow. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as her parents always made it out to be whenever they came home from one. Ren always said the reporters he worked with (save for one exception) were just vultures looking for a good story and Haru just felt uncomfortable talking to them in the first place. Hanako had never really been in the public spotlight to the degree that required an interview but that might change following this one…

* * *

As soon as she arrived at the studio, she found herself being swept into hair and makeup for the interview. Her teachers protested until the staff assured them that Hanako was simply being used to help fill an interview spot for the taping. This left Hanako's bag in the possession of Chiasa and Akihisa, who were ushered into the area where they would be taping and sat with the rest of their classmates. Chiasa could see Hanako standing off to the side with Fujimoto and narrowed her eyes. That guy really pissed her off for some reason and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Then it started.

"Welcome back!" the male anchor said to the camera. "Today we have a pair of very special guests. One was on our show yesterday and we've brought him back by popular demand!"

"Please welcome Daisuke Fujimoto!" the female anchor chirped.

Fujimoto walked out onto the sound stage and smiled. Chiasa heard several of her female classmates cheer and sigh, a few even swooning.

"And our second guest is a last-minute addition, but by no means a stranger to the press thanks to her father's status as a member of the Diet!"

"Say hello to Hanako Amamiya!"

Hanako came out on stage. She looked the same as ever but quite a few classmates started whispering along with the clapping they gave her.

"Amamiya-san is being interviewed?"

"What could this be about?"

"She looks different."

"Today's topic is the Phantom Thieves!" the female anchor continued. "About twenty-five years ago, the Phantom Thieves first captured the hearts of the public—so to speak—before vanishing as mysteriously as they appeared."

"And now they've appeared again, beginning at Shujin Academy to steal the heart of a teacher whose conduct was quite unbecoming," the male anchor chimed in. "Fujimoto-san, what is your opinion of the Phantom Thieves?"

"To be honest, I read the case files from before and it appears that the same tactics are being used this time around. A calling card is sent to their intended target and then the target confesses all their crimes themselves. There is no physical evidence in any of those cases other than the calling cards."

"Let's ask our audience. Please press your button if you believe the Phantom Thieves have returned."

A number appeared on the screen—13.

"Oh my!" the female anchor laughed. "That's much higher than I was expecting!"

"Amamiya-san, as a student at Shujin and the daughter of a politician, what is your opinion of the Phantom Thieves?"

"I never really interacted with Miyashita," the dark-haired girl replied. "However, a close friend of mine was nearly one of his victims, and a close friend of hers did end up becoming one. If the Phantom Thieves really helped bring those crimes to light, then they're good people with their hearts in the right place."

"Wow, Amamiya-san," the female anchor commented. "You've certainly inherited your father's silver tongue!"

Hanako's face turned a little red but she stayed calm.

"For those of you who make up the younger generation, the Phantom Thieves nearly twenty-five years ago were accused of a variety of crimes. These included possession of weapons, intimidation, defamation, and even murder."

"As a matter of fact, their target who lost his life was their most high-profile—Kunikazu Okumura." Hanako blinked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kunikazu Okumura was your grandfather on your mother's side, yes?"

"Yes, he was."

"Were you aware of the circumstances of his death?"

"No, I wasn't. My parents have never talked much about him or how he died. All I've ever known is that he passed away while my mother was in her third year of high school."

"Well, he was a target of the Phantom Thieves who had a mental shutdown, a shockingly frequent occurrence back then if you were a high-profile person. It is believed that the Phantom Thieves triggered this event which ultimately killed him."

Hanako suddenly felt sick.

_Mental shutdown… Mom and Dad did that? To my grandfather?_

"Whether this is the same group or simply a gang of copycats," Fujimoto spoke up, "they need to be brought to justice. Who knows if they'll strike again and kill someone?"

As soon as the interview was over, Hanako stumbled over to her friends. Chiasa supported her as she almost fell, Morgana watching her with worried eyes.

"Hana, we didn't kill your grandfather," he assured her. "Someone else did, and that person is behind bars. Don't worry. As long as we do things right, we won't get caught and nobody's going to die. I promise you that much."

Part of Hanako felt uncomfortable, but she decided to believe Morgana for now.

Still, she needed to find out more about what had happened all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters are getting longer! Yay!
> 
> As I said, this story will be going on pause for a bit while I focus on my entries for ShuHaru week. I'm excited to participate!
> 
> Oh, and about Sayaka? If you haven't seen Madoka Magica, you will not get why I specifically chose to have her be small, cute, and play violin. If you have, you're welcome for the reminder of that little fiasco.
> 
> So long and thanks for all the fish!


End file.
